4 Home Maintenance Tips as Winter Comes to an End

Can you believe that winter is nearing its end?. It’s exhilarating to think that Spring is upon us; however, winter does offer some unique opportunities to finish those indoor tasks. Let’s examine some of those maintenance tasks.

Clean Your Grout

Grout is the “glue” that holds tiles in place, and it is a mixture of water, sand and cement. Whether it is in your kitchen, bathroom or elsewhere, it is prone to staining and discoloration over time. Many simple cleaners will help clean your grout when combined with some brushing, scrubbing and wiping.

Initially, give warm water and a stiff bristled brush a go. If that does not work, try a one-to-one solution of water and vinegar in a spray bottle – spray the mixture onto the grout, let it stand for around five minutes and then scrub with your brush. If the stains are still there, try a paste consisting of baking soda and water – cover the affected grout with the paste and then spray on your vinegar/water solution. Wait for it to stop foaming and then brush and rinse. If you still have the issue, you can introduce hydrogen peroxide into the equation. You can use it by itself, or make a paste with baking soda. Apply, scrub and rinse and check your results. If your results still aren’t satisfactory, you can step up to some stronger alternatives. Some of these include oxygen bleach, chlorine bleach and your standard commercial cleaners. Let these products sit on the grout a little longer (10 to 15 minutes) and be sure that your work area is well ventilated. Fingers crossed, one of these methods will take care of your discolored grout. Remember that regular maintenance goes a long way with grout, so once you’ve gotten it clean, try wiping it down once a week with vinegar or alcohol. Staying ahead of the stains can save you a lot of labor!

Test Your Smoke Alarms

This is a super important task that should be done regularly, but let’s try and do it a bit differently. When you press the test button on the detector itself, you are not giving the smoke detector a true test – only the batteries. To test your smoke alarm properly, you should strike one or two matches, blow them out, place them underneath the smoke detector and wait for it to sound. Get ready to plug your ears if your alarms are functioning properly! Make sure to check the batteries too, and to replace them once or twice a year to ensure readiness. According to statistics, smoke detectors are present in 58 percent of fatal fires, but the detectors were only working in 37 percent of those fires.

Review Your Electric Bill

Winter generally produces the most expensive bills, so it pays to analyze those costs to spot patterns, spikes and correlations. Bills normally contain graphs or other information that displays your monthly usage over the last year.

Now is the time to plan and develop strategies for lowering your usage and costs for next winter. Think about your budget and what needs replacing or upgrading in your home. Are you ready to install higher quality windows, siding, heating system, solar….. Whatever the case, Winter is a great time to plan for it.

Make a Home Inventory

Being stuck inside offers no better time to take stock of your home’s layout, features, furniture and valuable belongings. Photographs and videos help to supplement your written/typed data. Make sure to keep your inventory data in a protected place, it can be invaluable for substantiating any insurance claims in the aftermath of a loss.